Bearer Of Bad News
by Super-Wario-Bros
Summary: When a young woman is whisked away from a party by a masked man, she realizes that he is the one who will decide how she does in her opera career - but little does she know, Wade Barrett has much more sinister intents. [Loosely based on Phantom of the Opera. Wade Barrett/OC/Damien Sandow.]
1. Chapter 1

"I've got some bad news, darling..." the man whispered, his deep voice piercing the silence between us. "You're not going anywhere."

I sucked in a gulp of air, glancing at the entrance of the ballroom. The warm lighting was so close, but it was just out of my reach. The man gripped my shoulders tight, circling his fingers over my shoulder blades. He smirked, but I could only see half of his mouth twitch into a grin; he wore a mask that covered the left side of his face. "Come with me. Alright?"

I nodded immediately, relieved. He finally let me get off of the wall, and I stood shakily, wobbling for a moment. The man caught me before I fell, and to my surprise, hoisted me into his arms.

He carried me to the roof of the building where the ball was being held. I grimaced when I remembered what the ball was for; Summer, the conceited woman who performed in the same opera house as me, had gotten the lead role in our next performance. The ball was in her honor. I had been having a rather bad time, staying in the corner of the large room. And before I knew what was happening, this mysterious man had whisked me outside.

He placed me on my feet once we reached the roof. I steadied myself and watched as the man strode to the edge of the roof. He tapped his foot as he gazed at the city lights.

"...What is your name?" Though I wasn't expecting a straight answer, I spoke.

His foot froze. "Barrett – Wade Barrett."

I nodded. "That's a nice name," I commented, taking a step closer to him. His foot tapping resumed, and he sighed deeply.

"In sleep you sang to me, in dreams you came..."

I started when Wade began to sing. It was soft, but it was beautiful, and it captivated me. It took me a moment to recognize the song.

"That's... That's the lullaby my father used to sing to me. How would you know that?" Wade's voice slowly faded, and he turned around to send me a knowing smirk.

Slowly I began to fit the puzzle pieces together. "Are you... Are you the Phantom?" I remembered my father telling me about the Phantom's accident; that his face was forever scarred and he never showed it. My father had told me that the Phantom would be there when I began my work at the opera house, that he would teach me how to sing like no one ever had...

Wade simply nodded, turning back to the moonlight. I took long, heavy strides towards him and spun him around.

"If you're the Phantom, then you've been sent here by my father."

Wade laughed. "No, love – I'm here on my own accord. And I'm not going to teach you to sing, no... You already have the loveliest voice in the world. I'm going to make sure your superiors recognize your talent." I felt my face grow warm when he gave me a cocky, crooked grin.

"Well, since we have all this sorted out, may I please return to the ball? My partner is waiting for me." I was sure that Damien, an old friend of mine, was quite worried for me.

Wade grimaced. "If you must. But trust me, dear – you will visit me again very, very soon, and if you don't, well..."

"If I don't what?" I demanded. I was beginning to grow annoyed.

Wade suddenly trapped my lips in a short, delicate kiss. He whispered against my lips, giving me a message that sent chills down my spine.

"Then I'm afraid I'll have some bad news."

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><p><strong>AN: After endless scrolling through my favorite BNB blog**, **I wrote this. I think it came out pretty nice. There are probably more chapters to come. Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**(Formerly known as The Phantom's News [I think this one sounds much better])**

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><p>I hurried down the metal stairs, making sure to not trip on my long dress. I was still pretty unsettled about what just happened. "I mean, Father told me that the Phantom hid himself in the shadows of the opera house..." I mused to myself, still rapidly descending the steps. "I guess that makes sense. And what he said about making my superiors realize my talent..." I froze for a second, lost in thought. "Was he saying I should've been the lead role?" I laughed that off, continuing to hop down stairs. "No, it couldn't be that. I'm not that good."<p>

I finally reached the bottom and took a moment to catch my breath. I tried my best to sneak back in through the back, but Damien caught me before I was even through the door.

"Olivia, where the hell have you been?!" he cried, grabbing my arm. "I've been worried sick!"

I laughed nervously; I had an idea that Wade preferred to remain anonymous. "Well, I decided to go...get some fresh air, so I headed up to the roof." Damien simply shook his head and sighed. In an attempt to ease the mood, I blurted out, "Do you want to go up there with me?"

Damien looked at me, a bit taken aback. "I - I mean, you don't necessarily look like you're having fun - I, well... It's really nice up there." I was obviously having trouble stringing together my lie.

Instead of declining like I expected, Damien smiled almost bashfully. "I'd really enjoy that - much more than staying at a party full of ignoramuses." I laughed.

I practically dragged Damien up the stairs while he complained about the "terribly unsafe steps that must have been designed by an utter moron". I simply laughed at his disdain as we continued upward.

When we arrived at the roof, I heard Damien suck in a breath. He was in awe of the gorgeous lights twinkling beneath us, as I was as well. He walked to the ledge and stared down in wonder, leaning his hands on the barrier keeping him from falling over, and for a moment Wade flashed before my eyes, tapping his foot, singing.

I shook the image out of my head and joined Damien. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" I asked him. He nodded immediately.

"It's almost... It's almost as beautiful as you." I laughed, throwing my arms around Damien.

"You're so great, Damien, you big flirt." Damien smiled at me, hugging me back. We stood there for a while, our arms around each other, staring down at the bright city lights.

After a while, I heard a quiet 'clunk', like someone was climbing the stairs to the roof. I glanced back at the stairs, worried, and gasped when I saw Wade simply staring at me from the darkness.

Damien let go of me. "What's wrong?" he asked, concern lacing his voice.

I stuttered as I responded. "I - Well, I, uh... I have to go. I have to go visit with Madame Lana back at the opera house. I'll see you later, Damien!" I dashed towards the stairs and began to descend them two at a time. I was certain Wade was still on the stairs. "I had a nice time!" I called back. I hoped Damien heard me.

As I ran down the staircase, I kicked off my high heels. The sound of my feet slapping the metal steps reminded me of Wade's fading footsteps after he had warned about out next meeting, which only worried me more.

I could tell that Wade had just been planning to have that meeting a moment ago, but I know he didn't expect to see Damien. I prayed it didn't anger him - he was frightening enough without any extreme emotions.

Finally I reached the bottom. I could see Wade's silhouette against the lights from the windows, so I called out to him. "Wade!" I cried, running towards him. I began to feel drips of rain on my head.

I slowed to a stop before him, looking up into his eyes. The covered side of his face was closer to the light than the other, which left the unexposed part of his face in shadows. He looked something like a porcelain doll, with his mask as the smooth, glass skin.

He shifted so I could see his whole face, and I winced when I noticed the snarl on his face. Though I was terrified, I tried to explain things to him. "L - Listen, Wade. I was just showing Damien the roof, okay? Anyways, you never told me when we would meet again, so - "

"Just because I leave doesn't mean you can grab another man to be close to. What does he know about performing? What does he know about anything, for that matter?" For a moment I was tempted to inform Wade of Damien's vast knowledge, but I held my tongue.

"Damien isn't that close to me. This is the first time we've seen each other in months." Wade nodded, seemingly calming down. I hoped that that was the case.

He smiled a bit. "...Alright. I'm sorry - I blew things out of proportion. I have a way to make up for it, though. You'll see in a week or so. I'm sure you'll like it, love."

I nodded unsurely. "Okay. Thank you. Now when do we need to meet next?"

Wade thought for a moment. "Well... Not until next week - actually, I have something to show you soon. I'll come to you - and I'll make sure to arrive when you're alone."

I nodded. "I see. Thank you, Wade." And again, he shot me that arrogant smirk that made me go weak in the knees. I looked down do he wouldn't see my burning face. "I'll see you later."

Wade stopped me from walking away. "You must be freezing, Olivia." When he said that, I noticed that my hair was dripping wet and that I was standing in a puddle of rain. I nodded sheepishly, rubbing my hands together.

"Well, not for long." Suddenly, Wade removed his large, regal-looking coat and draped it over my shoulders. I pulled it further over myself and smiled.

"Well, I guess I'll see you in a week," I remarked, walking away. Wade didn't respond.

When I arrived at the opera house, I ran to my dressing room and changed immediately. Relieved to be in some dry clothes and tired out from the night's bizarre happenings, I laid down on the cot in the back of the room.

I pondered about Wade as I waited for sleep. He was fascinating, albeit frightening, and he was a gentleman as well. I still didn't understand him… Then again, maybe I never would.

Finally, I fell asleep, wondering what news waited for me next week.

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><p><strong>AN: Welp, I wrote more. Lots more Sandow, which is always a good thing. Hope you guys enjoyed! **


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